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As severe flooding impacted South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales last week, volunteer surf lifesavers worked alongside State Emergency Services to deal with the widespread and significant flooding.

Local surf lifesavers were on the front lines providing welfare checks, lending their club Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs) to reach those in need as well as performing skilful rescues where necessary.

The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter has also been deployed to provide flood drops to targeted areas, while other key assets including UAVs, Duty Officers, and liaison officers are on the ground at affected sites or stationed at Emergency Operation Centres to help coordinate responses.

Posting on Facebook, Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter service shares “so much devastation and damage across NSW and QLD with the floods. At the same time many heart warming moments with communities working together. A big shout out to all impacted with our thoughts with you. And like us, all other emergency groups will continue to do our best to help you. Stay safe.”

Callout teams have been conducting evacuations of people and in some cases animals stranded by floodwaters, assisting with food drops and supporting other emergency services organisations with logistics.

Along with IRBs, Duty Officers have been positioned in all of the Emergency Operations Centres as Liaison Officers and UAVs have been deployed to provide intel on conditions and will continue to assist in the recovery phase of the disaster.

SLSNSW Director of Lifesaving Joel Wiseman has thanked all those involved and everyone who has offered to assist, either in their local area or to travel to flood affected areas to help.

“The response to the callout for volunteers has been amazing,” he said. “I’m so proud to be part of an organisation where so many people are willing to drop everything and lend a hand, including some of our members who themselves have lost their homes in this disaster.”

Heavy rainfall, flash flooding, coastal erosion and dangerous surf is still impacting the NSW coastline coinciding with extremely high tides in the mornings which will make coastal inundation and erosion a serious threat to people and property.

The giant swell is expected to travel further south to Victoria and Tasmania, where lifesaving operations are prepared for beach closures and hazardous conditions.

Images courtesy Surf Life Saving and Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Facebook

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